Melanie Leach, visiting San Francisco from Kentucky, was gearing up to have the perfect Bay Area Fourth of July.

She started her bright, warm Thursday afternoon gawking at the mega-yachts parked at the America’s Cup village. Later, after a beer, she’d head to the roof of her brother’s Marina pad to watch the sailboats cruise the bay and then – maybe after another beer – the fireworks.

“Yeah, I don’t see a whole lot of sailing in Kentucky, so it is really nice to come out here and check this out,” she said. “My brother lives in the Marina, so he invited us out to watch the race and the fireworks.

“Golly, this is nice,” she added after a pause.

Tens of thousands of Independence Day revelers braved the fourth day of the BART strike and flocked to the waterfront to soak up the afternoon sun, celebrate the official opening of the America’s Cup race season and, after all that, ogle the fireworks show.

“They just give (the city) a little more glitz and glamour on the waterfront,” he said. “I mean, it’s beautiful. You got the boats, the weather and the Bay Bridge in the background.”

Daniel Butkevich, 20, drove in from Sacramento with his girlfriend Alina Priymak, 20, to spend the evening canoodling under the fireworks.

“This is magnificent,” Butkevich said, as dozens of sailboats bobbed by on the bay.

Michael Gapuz, 16, dragged his family all the way from Orlando to see the first days of the America’s Cup regatta. The first competitive race will take place Sunday.

A competitive sailor himself, Gapuz has been following every detail of the race.

“I’m pretty sure New Zealand is going to win this year – they have the experience the other teams don’t have,” Gapuz said as he snapped pictures of the America’s Cup boats.

Gapuz said he was especially excited this year’s regatta would be held close to shore.

“Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I came out here,” he said. “That makes it so much more exciting.”

Michael Weigart, 54, and his girlfriend Mary Huggins, 52, drove down from Santa Rosa late Wednesday to spend the Fourth walking the 3 miles from Fort Mason to the America’s Cup Village before catching the fireworks.

“We have different schedules, so we don’t really get much time off at the same time,” Weigart said. “And we both had (Thursday) off, so we wanted to do something.”

“I’m gonna die tomorrow at work, but it is worth it,” Huggins said.

The pair made sure to stop for a tour at Liberty ship Jeremiah O’ Brien, which carried troops and supplies in support of the D-Day invasion in World War II. It was, after all, Independence Day.

“We’re car people, motorcycle people, so to see the engines on that thing – man,” Weigart said.

“And to think what it’s been through,” Huggins added.

“This is such a beautiful city,” Weigart said. “We really like it here.”